LAWRENECE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence police say a shooting near the University of Kansas campus was the result of an attempted robbery.

Two of the three people shot Sunday evening were Kansas students. Sgt. Trent McKinley says one of the victims was released Sunday while the others remain hospitalized. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Police on Tuesday continued to search for the two suspects, who fled toward the Kansas campus after the confrontation. McKinley says they both had weapons when they fled.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that at least one of the suspects, if not both, wore a mask when they entered the home.

McKinley says the suspects and victims knew each other. No names have been released.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The parents of an American woman held by Islamic State militants say they have been notified of her death.

Carl and Marsha Mueller, the parents of Kayla Jean Mueller, released a statement on Tuesday saying they have been told that she has died.

The White House also issued a statement confirming her death.

The Islamic State group said Friday that the 26-year-old Mueller from Prescott, Arizona, died in a Jordanian airstrike.

The government of Jordan dismissed the statement as propaganda. U.S. officials have said they hadn’t seen any evidence to corroborate the report. Mueller is the only known remaining U.S. hostage held by the Islamic State group. She was taken into captivity in August 2013 while leaving a hospital in Syria.

By Amelia Arvesen
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA — During the November mid-term election, state Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau’s daughter was unable to vote while attending college in Texas. She intended to vote but her advanced ballot did not arrive in the mail until after the election.

Last week, the Senate Ethics Committee heard amendments to Senate Bill 41 that would allow students attending a college or university outside the state to vote electronically.

Under current Kansas law, voters in the armed services and their families residing outside the U.S. may request to vote through electronic means either through their county elections officer or the secretary of state. SB 41 recognizes that out-of-state residents cannot always vote timely by mail.

Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita, the committee’s ranking minority member, said an electronic voting method would have allowed her daughter and other out-of-state students to cast their votes.

“I just see…the students, especially in that age category, casting their vote electronically,” Faust-Goudeau said. “It’s what they do now.”

Bryan Caskey, a representative for the secretary of state’s office, said voters, including students, have been successfully using the current voting system since 1996. He said the county election offices mail advanced ballots 20 days before the election, giving voters an ample amount of time to cast their votes.

“There is no rational basis for college students attending college out of state to be treated more favorably than other Kansans who are temporarily out of state, be it for work, traveling on vacation or attending to personal matters,” Caskey said.

Electronic methods include email and fax, which by law must be printed and hand counted, adding time and expenses to tabulating votes that would otherwise be counted by standard machines at polling places, Caskey said.

In the last election, he said more than 89,000 ballots were mailed on the first day of advanced voting. Already, there is a tight timeframe of 45 days to count votes.

“It is currently impossible to predict how many of those voters would be college students out of state but is reasonable to assume that number would be thousands,” Caskey said.

There are more than 143,000 registered Kansans voters between the ages of 18 and 24, according to the state election’s office.
The bill’s fiscal note indicates the amendment to SB 41 would have no fiscal effect on agency operations, and the financial burden on county elections offices for delivery would be minor.
Ben Gartland, a student at DePaul University in Chicago and a resident of Olathe, said he was able to mail his ballot for the midterm election but would prefer to participate electronically in the future.

“If you’re someone like me who uses email a lot more than physical mail, then it is kind of a hassle,” Gartland said. “Having these options to do it electronically might sway some of the younger voters to go ahead and vote.”

Sen. Michael O’Donnell (R-Wichita) said he recognized that not all counties pay return postage on mailed advances, but a lack of stamps can defer young voters.

“If we’re encouraging Kansas kids to go to college we should also encourage them to vote,” O’Donnell said.

Amelia Arvesen is a University of Kansas senior from San Ramon, Calif., majoring in journalism.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office says it has paid outside attorneys nearly $1.2 million to defend anti-abortion laws enacted since January 2011.

Schmidt’s office reported Monday that it has paid almost $770,000 to the Lawrence firm of Thompson, Ramsdell & Qualseth for fees and expenses in handling multiple federal and state lawsuits.

The state successfully defended a 2013 law requiring abortion providers to post certain material on their websites for women seeking abortions and another statute restricting private health insurance coverage of abortions.

A state-court lawsuit is still pending against special regulations for providers enacted in 2011.

Schmidt’s office also has paid more than $425,000 to the Wichita firm of Foulston Siefken to successfully defend a measure keeping federal dollars for non-abortion services from flowing to Planned Parenthood.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Tim Huelskamp (KS-01) on Monday afternoon met with visiting Army leadership and spoke at a Community Listening Session about Fort Riley, a critical Army divisional post located in the Big First Congressional District.

Even on a Monday afternoon, a crowd of over 1,500 concerned Kansans showed up to voice their support for Fort Riley. The Listening Session room hit capacity, and as parking ran out, organizers used buses to shuttle people to the event from a remote location.

In his remarks, Congressman Huelskamp stressed the state-of-the-art facilities at Fort Riley, the high number of deployments of Fort Riley troops, and the $1.6 billion in military construction investments since 2005. Excerpts from Congressman Huelskamp’s remarks at the listening session included:

“Later this week or next the President of the United States will approach Congress… to ask for additional authorization of military force. And the crown jewel of the Army, those that are leading the tip of the spear fighting ISIS are from Fort Riley.”

“We treasure Fort Riley not just because we love the soldiers, but because we love our nation, and we understand that we don’t want a budget-driven military. We want a mission-driven military. And Fort Riley provides unique, mission-critical capabilities

DINA CAPPIELLO, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is pledging $3.2 million to help save the monarch butterfly. The iconic orange-and-black butterflies in recent years have experienced a 90 percent decline in population.

About $2 million will be spent to restore more than 200,000 acres of monarch habitat from California to the Corn Belt, including more than 750 schoolyard habitats and pollinator gardens. The rest will be used to start a conservation fund that will provide grants to farmers and other landowners to conserve habitat.

The monarch lays eggs exclusively on the milkweed plant. Conversion of prairies into cropland and the use of pesticide-resistant crops have greatly reduced milkweed, particularly in the heartland.

The move comes as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers whether the species needs to be classified as threatened.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — The father of a 3-month-old Salina boy who was abused and starved to death has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Twenty-eight-year-old Nicholas Corbin had pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in the death of Jordan Corbin in December 2013.

Before he was sentenced Monday, Corbin said he and the baby’s mother, Desirah Overturf, did not know how to care for a baby and were both under stress when the child died. Overturf was sentenced in September to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

The Salina Journal reports a defense attorney argued that Corbin had an intellectual disability and should not be subject to mandated sentencing.

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A tornado shelter/student activities center at Dodge City Community College is one step closer to reality.

The college’s foundation announced Monday that the federal government had approved an application for $491,000 to help fund the structure.

College Foundation Director Roger Proffit says the approval means the college can begin construction of the monolithic domed structure.

The Dodge City Daily Globe reports supporters are conducting a five-year, $5 million fundraising campaign for the activities center. With the federal grant, current donations and pledges, about $1.5 million is still needed.

Besides providing a community shelter during severe storms, the center will include a walking track, wellness center and aerobics room. It also will have a student activities room and all collegiate basketball and volleyball games will be played there.